Tag - japanese

 
 

JAPANESE

Japan’s producer price index rose 0.3% in November from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 12, 2023
Japan’s input inflation eases further to slowest pace since 2021
The persistent slowdown in the index this year is in line with the BOJ’s view that price pressures are cooling.
A record number of Japanese investors have put their money into domestic private credit deals in search of higher returns this year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 12, 2023
Private credit is attracting record numbers of Japanese investors
An unprecedented 236 limited partners have provided money to private capital managers this year through September, more than triple the level of 2017.
Experts have warned that the central government must take decisive action to curb illicit activities related to online casinos.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 12, 2023
Use of illegal online casinos rising, along with debt concerns
Experts warn that the central government must take decisive action to curb illicit activities.
Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers on Tokunoshima island, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Nov. 19. The government plans to secure over ¥1 trillion in fresh defense outlays by raising corporate, tobacco and income taxes in stages, but it has yet to decide when to start increasing the taxes.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 11, 2023
Japan unlikely to hike taxes for defense boost in '25: LDP official
The decision on when to hike taxes will be delayed into 2024 amid an unfolding fundraising scandal involving many LDP factions and senior lawmakers.
The Bank of Japan is likely to keep its monetary stimulus settings unchanged at a two-day policy meeting ending Dec. 19, despite recent market speculation that the negative rate may be scrapped as soon as the December meeting.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 11, 2023
BOJ sees little need to end negative rate in December: sources
Bank officials are yet to see enough evidence of wage growth that would support sustainable inflation.
Business sentiment among major Japanese companies was positive for the third successive quarter in October to December, led by a continued improvement in automobile-related industries.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 11, 2023
Sentiment of Japan's big firms remains positive in latest quarter
The business sentiment index for companies with capital of ¥1 billion or more stood at plus 4.8, against plus 5.8 in the previous quarter.
Rina Gonoi, a former member of the Self-Defense Forces, who has accused colleagues of sexually assaulting her during her time in the military, speaks in Yokohama on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 11, 2023
Former Japanese soldier fights for justice in landmark sexual assault case
A former Self-Defence Forces member's yearslong fight for justice against the men she has accused of sexually assaulting her will reach a climax on Tuesday when a court delivers a verdict in a trial that has drawn international attention.
A 74-year-old man has been arrested in Tokyo for allegedly attacking and cutting off his octogenarian neighbor's left ear with a knife, police said Saturday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 9, 2023
Man arrested for cutting off elderly neighbor's ear in Tokyo
The suspect admitted to the attack, telling police he did it because she "was noisy."
The day after the Fukuoka District Court dismissed her lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of Japan's dual nationality law, Yuri Kondo, 76, was in high spirits as she drove to see family and friends.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 8, 2023
Japan-born U.S. national Yuri Kondo continues dual citizenship fight
The dismissal of her lawsuit over the dual nationality ban has implications for tens of thousands of people, and Kondo says she'll keep fighting for them.
Police have arrested a 58-year-old man after a 16-year-old female high school student was found dead in an apartment in Osaka Prefecture, apparently from a cough medicine overdose.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 8, 2023
Man arrested on kidnapping charge after overdose death in Osaka
An autopsy found that the kidnapped 16-year-old female student had a fatal amount of cough medicine ingredients inside her body.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Half of the 52 economists surveyed by Bloomberg said the central bank will scrap its negative rate in April, up from 29% in the October survey.
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2023
Most BOJ watchers predict end of negative rate regime by April
"The most beautiful scenario is the end of the negative rate in April”
Japan’s economic recovery from the pandemic is losing momentum as overseas economies slow and sticky inflation weighs on domestic consumption.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 8, 2023
Japan’s deepest economic contraction since pandemic clouds path for BOJ
Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized 2.9% in the three months through September from the previous quarter as households reined in spending.
A Godzilla head in Tokyo's Kabukicho district. The latest installment in the franchise, which opened last Friday, follows the giant reptilian monster rampaging through postwar Japan.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 7, 2023
Godzilla smashes U.S. record as top-earning Japanese live-action film
"Godzilla Minus One" made over $14.36 million as of Tuesday, surpassing the previous title held by "The Adventures of Milo and Otis."
Actress Midori Suiren (center), filmmaker Kenzo Kaga (right) and cinematographer Shin Hayasaka attend a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 7, 2023
Actors say sexual abuse is a structural problem in Japan’s film industry
Despite the revelation of Johnny Kitagawa’s sexual abuse, the actors say their claims are being trivialized as personal relationship issues.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks to reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 7, 2023
BOJ’s Ueda meets Kishida and discusses monetary policy stance
The meeting is likely to make BOJ watchers nervous given that the central bank made a surprise policy tweak last December after similar talks.
Lawyers representing a consumer advocacy group speak to reporters on Wednesday after filing a cease and desist lawsuit against online travel agency Agoda.
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2023
Saitama consumer group files lawsuit against travel agency Agoda
The group said the firm’s terms of service that limit it from being liable for compensation violate consumer protection laws.
Police officers examine the site of a car crash in a square in front of the Hitachi municipal offices in Ibaraki Prefecture on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 7, 2023
Suspect in Ibaraki car crashes admits involvement, citing grudge
The vehicle that was rammed into a square in the city of Hitachi had the suspect's mother in the passenger seat at the time of the incident.
The trial for Shinji Aoba in a Kyoto Animation arson-murder case concluded at the Kyoto District Court Thursday, with prosecutors demanding a death penalty.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 7, 2023
Death penalty sought for man over 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack
Shinji Aoba, 45, is facing charges including murder over the blaze at the animation studio's premises.
Filmmaker Kah Wai Lim (left) interviews the owners of 22 independent cinemas across Japan about the difficulties and joys of running a “mini-theater” in “This Magic Moment.”
CULTURE / Film
Dec 7, 2023
‘This Magic Moment’: Mini-theaters keep indie cinema love alive
Kah Wai Lim highlights the resilient determination of small theater owners across the country who keep their businesses afloat against the odds.
Yuri Kondo (center), the plaintiff of a dual nationality case, speaks during a news conference Wednesday in the city of Fukuoka after the Fukuoka District Court handed down a ruling on her case.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2023
Fukuoka court rules ban on dual nationality is constitutional
The court rejected an argument by a Japan-born plaintiff, who lost her citizenship after naturalizing as an American, that the law undermines her rights.

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